[Here's a 200 word English summary of an story I wrote on last years Gay Pride in Moscow. There original story is available here in Dutch]

[photo-credit: oceanhug on flickr.com]

It”™s a bright sunny day in Moscow. As I approach, youngsters wearing protective masks pass. “œGays stink”, one tells.

There is a small group of gays, lesbians and transgender protestors. When they dare to take out small rainbow-flags fights emerge everywhere. Groups of skinheads, hooligans, old “˜babushkas”™ and radical orthodox believers attack. In the chaos I find a former member of Dutch parliament who is here to note down human-rights violations. There”™s too many, things get out of hand. “œIt”™s fascist, I can”™t think of any other word.”, he tells.

A bit later we wait on another location. Nobody dares to show up here. Bored skinheads hang around and talk with the riot-police, which is overwhelmingly present. “œBrzzt!”, we hear. Again. “œBrzzt!”. When I look for the origin of the sound, it turns out to be a police-officer expaining an electro-shock-machine to a group of skinheads. They look content.

But Alekseyev is an optimist. “œRussia eventually has to move towards Europe. This or “˜Back to the USSR”™.” How long will it take before Moscow can see a Gay-Pride like in Paris, London or Amsterdam? “œIt will take a long time”, tells Alekseyev, “œbut we”™ll get there.”

While celebrating her third birthday, Russia Profile published my interview with Sophie in “˜t Veld and Marco Cappato, the two European MEPs who were present during last months Gay Pride in Moscow.

From the article I quote Sophie in “˜t Veld;

“œA couple of years ago in Warsaw, things were difficult there,” said in”™t Veld. “œNow when I attend parades there, the atmosphere is very good, peaceful. If it”™s possible in Warsaw,” she added hopefully, “œit is also possible in Moscow.”

I wonder. Surely both cities are inhabited by the conceptually same “˜homo post sovieticus”™. But I think the fundamental problem lies in the fact that Moscow lacks what Warsaw has, something undefined that I keep calling “˜europeness”™. Maybe not. Lets see in five years. I surely hope to be wrong. Read the rest of the article here.

‘Brrrzzztâh’, een gek geluid klinkt bij het metrostation Chistiye Prudiâ waar omstreeks 15.00 uur een vervolg van de Gay Pride moet plaatsheben. Overal staan grote bussen met OMON-agenten, hier en daar houden civiele burgeragenten de wacht. ‘Brrrzzztâh’ nog een keer. Het geluid komt bij een groepje opgeschoten jongeren vandaan, die in gesprek zijn met een aantal politie-agenten. Een agent geeft instructies hoe het shock-apparaat precies werkt, de jongeren luisteren aandachtig. ‘Wat sta jij daar te kijken?’, blaft een andere agent me toe. ‘Niks, niks’, zeg ik en loop door.

De organisatie van de Gay Pride is voor het overgrote deel al aan de Tverskajastraat opgepakt. Na ruim een uur zijn bij Chistiye Prudi nog steeds geen demonstraten te bekennen. Het brrrzzztâh-apparaat is nu opgeborgen en de skinheads krijgen van de politie een lift naar huis.